The 19 Best Nut and Seed Butters You Can Buy

The 19 Best Nut and Seed Butters You Can Buy

For our Greatist-Approved Groceries series, we're narrowing down the tens of thousands of products out there to the ones we think are worth buying so you can get in and out of the store faster. With the help of Elizabeth Jarrard, R.D., we came up with a set of standards to figure out what is best. Every item must:

Contain only recognizable ingredients

Have no artificial flavors, colors, or sweeteners (stevia and monk fruit are OK)

Never list sugar as the first ingredient

Have a reasonable serving size

Taste absolutely amazing

Cost a reasonable price

Additionally, when picking the best nut and seed butters, we chose those with no more than 100 milligrams of sodium or three grams of sugar per serving. We also favored ones with fewer ingredients (ideally three to four) and no oil or sustainably sourced oil. For tasting, we went with creamy rather than crunchy so that wouldn't impact our judgment, but we're sure both versions of the following (when offered) are equally amazing.

If the farthest you've ventured from peanut butter is almond butter, prepare to have your mind blown. From pure and peanutty to dessert-like and boozy, you'll want to spread these on everything.

Roasting organic Spanish peanuts gives them such an intensely nutty flavor that the only other thing added is a smidge of salt (we're talking a mere 50 milligrams in two tablespoons). We love how creamy it is too. $5.99 for 16 ounces

For purists on a budget, this contains strictly blended fresh-roasted peanuts. It's oily—so much so that you may want to pour some out before mixing the rest in. But for the flavor and price, we don't mind a bit. $2.99 for 16 ounces

If you decided to make your own nut butter (it's crazy easy), it would taste like this. NaturAlmond slow-roasts almonds then grinds them in its (commercial) kitchen in Atlanta. The result is pure almond flavor with chunks of nuts throughout. $11.50 for 12 ounces

Made from organic pepitas, pumpkin seed oil, and salt, this one is also naturally green and has a great creamy texture. Though there's only six grams of protein in two tablespoons, the pumpkin seeds pack iron, phosphorous, magnesium, and some zinc. $10.05 for 12 ounces

Creamy but with small pieces of nuts, this is excellent to spread, dip, or eat by itself. Cashews are naturally sweet, so you don't need added sugar. This one also has no salt, only some safflower oil added. It's more expensive than others, but if you're all for organics, you probably won't mind. $17.09 for 16 ounces

“Manna” is food from heaven—and this certainly fits the bill! Pure, luscious coconut flesh takes oatmeal, toast, and ho-hum smoothies from basic to out of this world. It can also be used for baking and cooking. $9.99 for 15 ounces

Flavored Nut and Seed Butters

The name implies something wicked, but since it's made from Virginia peanuts, dehydrated apples, peanut oil, and sugar, it's anything but. In fact, there's only three grams of sugars in a serving. It's meant for dipping a sliced apple into, but it's probably great in oatmeal sprinkled with some cinnamon. $5.50 for 8.5 ounces

We can't think of a more perfect sweetener for almonds than maple sugar. This nut butter is perfect for those trying to wean themselves off high-sugar versions but who can't go without any sweetener yet. It's thick yet spreadable, though some may find the texture a bit gritty. $12.99 for 16 ounces

The base here is sunflower seeds, but this also has flax and hemp for some serious seed power. The cinnamon-vanilla combo is amazing—and a serving only has two grams of sugar! Grab a banana and snack away. $8.50 for 15 ounces

OK, this one does break our sugars standard, with eight grams in two tablespoons. But compare that to 21 in Nutella! And since so many are addicted to that other spread, buy this instead and you can enjoy without any guilt. Go ahead and have a spoonful (or two) for dessert. $12.99 for 16 ounces

A little whiskey with your PB? Don't mind if we do! Real bourbon is added to peanuts and pecans, along with molasses, brown sugar, vanilla, and oil. Super smooth yet not super sweet, it's a dream. $7.00 for 8.5 ounces

Sweetened with honey, this batter—er, butter—tastes pretty darn close to raw dessert. It's also Paleo, gluten-free, organic, and non-GMO. We won't tell if you lick the jar clean. Also, try it in your coffee. Really. $12.99 for 12 ounces